Chelonoidis chilensis
Silhouette: Andrew A. Farke · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%
The Chaco tortoise (Chelonoidis chilensis), also known commonly as the Argentine tortoise, the Patagonian tortoise, or the southern wood tortoise, is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species is endemic to South America.
The Chaco tortoise is mainly found in Argentina, but also in Bolivia and Paraguay, mainly within the Chaco and Monte ecoregions. Its distribution is mainly limited by temperature-related variables, and precipitation in the reproductive period.
The scientific name for this species, Chelonoidis chilensis, is misleading because it is not native to Chile. It occurs mainly in Argentina, Bolivia and neighboring Paraguay. When the species was first described by Gray in 1870, he mistakenly thought that Mendoza was in Chile instead of Argentina (the city was transfer in 1776), thus the misnomer. Sclater corrected Gray's mistake in the same year. However, the rules of nomenclature give precedence to the name chilensis, even though it was based on an erroneous assumption, and the name has persisted.
The carapace of C. chilensis can measure up to 43.3 cm (but usually less than 25 cm) in a straight line... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | El Impenetrable National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al Ain Zoo | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | |
| 2 | Temaikén | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 3 | Memphis Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Bioparque Municipal Vesty Pakos | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 5 | La Plata Zoo and Botanical Garden | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 6 | Córdoba Zoo | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 7 | Zoo de Luján | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 8 | Bioparque Educativo Quillón | 🇨🇱 Chile | |
| 9 | Reserva de Fauna y Flora Pan de Azúcar | 🇺🇾 Uruguay | |
| 10 | Zoológico Villa Dolores | 🇺🇾 Uruguay | |
| 11 | Zoológico de Quilpué | 🇨🇱 Chile | |
| 12 | Granja los Pibes | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 13 | Agroflori Parque de las Aves | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 14 | Aqualife | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 15 | Mendoza Zoological Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 16 | The Juana's Market | 🇦🇷 Argentina |
No species of the same family or order lives in El Impenetrable National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Chilean Tortoise sighting in El Impenetrable National Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 7th most-seen of the 8 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Chilean Tortoise in El Impenetrable National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June–July and December–January, the lowest months. That is one of El Impenetrable National Park's wettest months, with about 120 mm of rain against 25 mm in July.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Chilean Tortoise sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only El Impenetrable National Park, in our data
El Impenetrable National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Chilean Tortoise sightings: about 30% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Chilean Tortoise is recorded against all the reptiles logged in El Impenetrable National Park (8 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
